Dan Dob

Boulder Mountain biking has a great 1st rule of trail etiquette; "First,treat everyone you meet on the trail like you'd treat your mother (if you don't like your mother, think of someone you really really like). Everyone is here to have a good time and being nice solves a lot of problems before they happen." Red Zone make a few good points, especially about going at 100% pace on a public trail if you can't see what's ahead of you (are you totally in control of your bike?) But I have seen plenty of trail runners (and hikers), on Table Mountain taking shortcuts that have far more erosion consequences than the shortcuts that mtbers might create (please don't people-just walk the section if you can't ride it!). I'd like to see hikers, runners and mtbers sharing certain trails in Tokai. This way we can all work together in getting access to more trails by proving that we can co-exist. For this to happen, trail runners need to be educated and alert to dangers that could exist and riders need to slow down and be cautious around blind corners etc. (and maybe fit bells to bikes? I have hundreds to give away if anyone wants) The worst thing we could do is kick up another huge fuss and make TMNP/Cape Pine think that we are a bunch of cowboys and not worth the hassle to deal with.

Damnit Steve-I knew you'd say that! I still venture out on trail runs-just never on the road again

WRT the differences between cyclists going up a trail vs runners going up the same trail. An important consideration here is that runners (if they aren't mtbers) do not realise what speeds a mtb can achieve going down a trail, whereas a mtber obviously has a better idea therefore they show a bit more respect to breaking distances and getting out the way. What I have also noticed is that most trail runners tend to look right in front of their feet (downwards), whereas mtbers tend to look up the trail more, thereby giving them more time to react and see riders coming down. I'll edit this just to say that I am both mtber and trail runner and see no need to run on Tokai mtb trails as there are a thousand (literally) other routes that are better to run on around Table Mountain.

Thanks DJR. Send us an email CJVDM! info at irideafrica.com We have a small 2014 Trance 27.5 for her with whatever pedals she might need, helmet water bottles and spares.We can deliver too but if it's just for one day, there will be an extra cost involved (R200) Daniel

Hi Hubbers, I've been very quiet on this thread because I hate getting excited about trips too long in advance. But that all changes today! Popped by Capago this morning to submit my Schengen Visa and it was a breeze. Went in at 9:45 and out by 10:15 even after I had forgotten to pay them their fee! (They have internet terminals and printer available there so I'd recommend making sure all your documents you might need for Visa application are in 'the cloud' in case you need to access them there.) So in 7 days time I should be good to go on this trip and holy carp, am I looking forward to it! It's my first overseas trip since I started iRide Africa 5 years ago and I feel it's well overdue. Here's a picture of my ratbike (function over form) that I'm taking. It's Potties old Canfield Jedi and I can't wait to use it on gradients that it was meant for! If anyone wants to swap out their trailbike for this, then I'm happy to swap for a day or two. I'd need a large frame... Have to says thanks to Omega for sorting out the whole trip. All in, I'd say I've only had to spend about 3 hours of admin time for the whole trip (mostly for the Schengen visa) which is a huge saving on time. Anyway, can't wait to meet and ride with you all on the trip in... Only two months baby!

Thanks Top Fuel.

Sick trail.Sick riding.Sick Edit -time to get up to Howick/Karkloof again!

There is a big black gate after the wine tasting, going down to the Amphitheatre, and it is usually closed. The few times I have been there, I park at the winetasting and pay for entries. The important part is to ask for the gate code because the ladies behind the counter don't give it to you as a matter of course! Then drive down to the gate, unlock it and park at the Amphiteatre and have fun! There has been so much good work done there but some of the trails really need to be fine tuned and the 'skills park' needs some direction markers and fine tuning to make it safer. As it stands right now, I think it has some dangerous sections for begginners trying to improve their skills (mostly badly made berms and jumps and corners int he wrong places)

OK, to get the topic back on track, I'd just like to say thanks for the feedback. We'll take a look at it and improve the website where possible.

hmm, Rollers...lovely

Trails indicated on map are the legal trails-there aren't any others Will look into the internal error-not sure what that's about!

Marko, The third choice should not be an option. There should be a sign at the bottom stating no riding up the rooty section and big berm. Think the baboons have stolen it...

Marko35s, the map shows colours for the grading of trail but the key on the bottom right tells the direction of each trail. I think the map can be improved with directional markers...

Rode down Vasbyt yesterday for the first time in ages. Really liked the new divert (so you don't cross the DH line) and it flows well and has a nice rock feature followed by a little jump that boosts you right into the berm-pretty loose but the rain is going to sort that out tonight! The section Bennett has re-done is soooo nice. Not only does it ride fast and smooth but it finally LOOKS pretty too. I can't wait for all those (broken)wood pallets to disappear. Let's hope the water diverts work with the amount of rain that is about to fall.

Good idea Headshot.

Hi all, The Tokai mtb website (http://tokaimtb.co.za/ )is up and running and we'd love for you all to check it out. It's been up for a few months now actually but this is the formal announcement As with all websites, it's a work in progress and we know that it needs a bit more work which the TokaiMTB committee is sorting out whenever we can. The main aim of it is to educate people as to the history of Tokai and the proposed future of it's trails and all that it entails. We've got some maps (which still need work and updating), opening times and directions as well emergency numbers for those horrible accidents. We've also added donation functionality (and will accept credit card payments in the future) so that riders can donate towards funds for trail building, as your Tokai trail entry fees do no go towards the trails (which is also mentioned on the website) The volunteer trail building dates will be updated on it as well as a bit of information about those days. Obviously, we've added a few contact email addresses so that those with complaints and suggestions can write to the committee and we can take it from there and put pressure on TMNP with written proof from the public. Please check it out and we'll be printing some flyers soon to hand out to the riding public in the parking lot. We'd like as many people to know about the website and the committee so that riders know where there money is going and what the committee is trying to achieve which, in short, is better trails & more trails for Tokai.

On days like yesterday the chaos happens mostly because people don't know any better. Signage is one way of educating people but most beginners wouldn't even bother to educate themselves. Deon has spent years getting those trail signs approved and unfortunately they can't change because they are to SANParks rigid specifications. I agree that a big sign at the start of the trail, dictating rules and ettiquette would help. Skills clinics are a great idea but don't think there are many people willing to do it for free (I do educate iRide Africa level 1 skills course riders about trail etiquette and awareness). The same kind of chaos happen on busy days in ski slopes and the best line of defence as a seasoned rider is for YOU to slow down and be aware of the newbies. They are so busy concentrating and trying to stay on their bike that all their senses are focussed inwards and not towards other riders and common sense tends to go out the window! Don't forget that everyone is just trying to have a good day out and we all started out the same way and learn as we go-the best thing we can do as seasoned riders, is to just chill out and slow down when the numbers get high-it's easy for us to pedal up and redo a section if another rider gets in our way, but for a beginner, just the thought of pedalling up that hill AGAIN, is exhausting, let alon actually doing it.

meh! Already rode with the bass player from Simple Minds when they were down here in Cape Town On a road bike though...

I could help out- I have been blogging for my site (irideafrica.com) for 5 years, though I have stopped blogging on that front for now. I am focussing on Enduro races this year so your POC product fits in with that market and I am going to the Alps in July/August for a DH trip so providing a good platform to review and write about your products. The fact that you've used a friends picture of me on your homepage should sway your decision

I agree Shebeen. That sponsorship should have gone to us!

Good job on collecting the data so far! Just to clarify though, I didn't 'want money for my data'-in fact I can't remember getting an email at all about this subject? It's just that I actually don't have the current data in a useful format as I use proprietary software and a mixture of programs to create our maps...just to clarify

Thanks for the references hubbers! Looking forward to meeting you and helping you become a better rider SiriS!

Check out our site www.irideafrica.com for bike rentals and guided trips We have guides that will happily take you on a jaunt around the peninsula!

Just met Steven from Jhb who is joining us on the 2014 July/Aug trip. he was renting a bike from us and going out to Jonkershoek. Seems like a cool guy but, dammit, he got me thinking about this trip! I am desperately trying to ignore it until nearer to the time...

Bought some of these from Olympic cycles. Of all the pads I've tried, these ones were the ones I noticed least, once they were on me. That said, the price tag is super high for what I think, are pads that won't last very long (Lycra sock, with a rubbery cap on it essentially). Sizing is interesting. I have super skinny legs (think grasshopper) and my medium kneepads were super tight! Very tight and yet they still slid down my knee in a crash in the Simonsberg Enduro. Hmmm. I also can't stand the look of them. Wish they would do away with the spider-man style pattern and make something that looks a bit more like traditional guards. All considered though, I still think they are still the best pads for our hot conditions and for (most of our) trails that don't demand full on hardcover, bulky pads. I'll be buying big-boy pads for my DH trip to France later this year!